Top 4 Ways To Organize Your Coupons

I get asked all the time about how I organize my coupons.  I  tried several different methods, but after some trial and error, I prefer the Binder method.  However, there are numerous ways to organize and here are a few ideas for you.

• Binder:
  • I have a Case It Binder that has baseball card holders in the main compartment and also has files in the front and back and a place for pens, calculator, scissors.  Inside this binder I file all the miscellaneous coupons I print from different sources, peelies from grocery products, etc.  I have them arranged by product type -( ie: breakfast, beverages, health & beauty, etc. )  I patterned the different sections based on the primary sections in your typical grocery store.
  • In the beginning, I tried to cut every coupon and file it, but since I buy duplicates of newspapers that have good inserts, this became TOO much!  Now I have hanging file folders in my desk drawer with each date tabbed. Inside each folder is that days inserts. I also write the date on the front of each insert just to make sure.  When I’m ready to get my coupons together for a shopping trip, I cut what I need and leave the rest.
  • I tried taking my entire binder with me on shopping trips, but for me, it was way too cumbersome.  If I lived in a rural location where I didn’t have close access to all the big stores, I would probably still take it – but I’m close to everything!  I put all the coupons I’ve clipped for that trip in its own envelope – CVS, Walgreens, Target, etc. – along with a list of what I’m purchasing, how much the regular price should be, the coupon amount I have clipped and what the bottom line price is.  This way, I don’t mistakenly pick up the wrong size item and pay more.
• Envelopes:
  •  When you are first beginning, and before you start accumulating a ton of coupons, it might be easiest to start clipping and simply put them in an envelope or file.  You can make one legal size envelope for each grocery category, IE: Meat, Cleaning Products, Health and Beauty, etc..  You can also sort each envelope by expiration month. This is definitely not that efficient, but its an easy way to start
• Accordian File Folder:
  • Pick up an accordian folder at Walmart, Target or any office supply store, but make sure it has a band that secures it all the way around - this will lessen the likelyhood that you will lose any coupons!  You can sort each pocket in the same way as envelopes - by expiration date or alphabetically.
• Index File Box:
  • You can use a recipe box, index card box or even a shoe box if you like. Believe it or not, index boxes are a very efficient and easy way to organize.  These boxes hold more coupons than you would think!  Again, sort by category , expiration date or alphabetically 

That is pretty much it in a nutshell!  Like I said, after trying a lot of different things, this is the easiest for me. I’m dilligent about cutting the ones that go in the binder and labeling the others that go in the file.  Organization is the key to making this work and believe me, I WAS NOT the most organized person in the world before I started collecting coupons. I’ve found that the harder I work on organizing ahead of time, the quicker my trips to each store are and the more fruitful they are!

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